Trisha Nomura, CPA, CGMA, and Abel Soares III, CPA/PFS, don’t live far from each other, but they didn’t know the other’s story until Soares was featured in an AICPA & CIMA Member Spotlight Series video.

They joined the JofA podcast recently to discuss how connecting has led to mutual admiration — and opened up new ideas for mentoring. The episode is in recognition of Asian American Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and intended to celebrate the diverse voices of the profession.

Resources

n  AICPA & CIMA home page for diversity, equity, and inclusion

n  Full index of the Member Spotlight Series focused on diverse voices:

What you’ll learn from this episode:

·         How Nomura and Soares learned that they were essentially neighbors.

·         The background of each CPA and why it matters — particularly this month.

·         Their advice for fellow accountants on being more entrepreneurial.

·         The inspirational emails Nomura has received after speaking to students about accounting.

·         Why Soares wanted to go “beyond the numbers” with his firm’s focus.

·         Their ideas for helping to grow the profession.